Process for chain operations



Dw 1949 A. B. SEGUR 2,492,925

PROCESS FOR CHAIN OPERATIONS Filed March 12, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 4a, ew/m/Je am zes a KWYM Y Dee 1 9 A. B. SEGUR 2,492,925

PROCESS FOR CHAIN OPERATIONS Filed March 12, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 r'" p 2 l 2%,

Dec. 1949 A. B. SEGUR 2,492,925

PROCESS FOR CHAIN OPERATIONS Filed March 12, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 such garments.

Patented Dec. 27, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT. oFFics I flit-.2: 01 37 5. Application March 12, 1946, Serial No. 653,886

scum. (ore-24s) My invention relates to process and apparatus for chain operations and is especially adapted for but not limited to the chain sewing of garments and like articles.

In the mass production manufacture of gar-,

a further operation on the output of the firstoperator, and the output of the second operator is passed on to a third operator, and so on until the garment is completed. In this type of manufacture each operator quickly and efllciently per- I forms the same operation on an exceedingly large number of garments.

When an operator completes her sewing operation on a first garment, she attaches this first garment to a second garment and each succeeding garment by means of a thread or series of threads to form what is generally known as a chain. This chain is allowed to flow into some suitable receptacle untfl a predetermined number of garments, or lot, have been sewed by such operator. The sewing operator or another operator then cuts the garments apart and stacks them for the next operator who in turn removes each garment separately to perform a sewing operation thereon and form a new chain which in turn is cut apart before the garments are turned over to a third operator.

.It has long been known that in many cases it would be highly advantageous to transfer the chain from one operator to the next and to perform successive sewing operations on the chain without cutting it apart between operators. Heretofore, however, this has not been feasible becauseof twisting and tangling of the chain and the loss of time and effort required to straighten out and rearrange the garments before performing a second operation thereon. It is. therefore the usual custom to cut apart the garments of a chain between successive operations on such garments.

An object of my invention is to provide new and improved process and apparatus whereby the garments forming part of a chain need not be cut apart between successive operations on Another object of my invention is to provide by a natural fold or lay is formed in the gar- 2 traxizsferring the chain from one operation to the ne Another object of my invention is to provide new and improved apparatus which is inexpensive and widely adaptable to permit great flexibility in applying the process to specific manufacturing conditions.

Another object of my invention is to provide new and improved process and apparatus adapted to a wide variety of manufacturing operations wherein flexible articles or flexible parts are connected together in a chain by sewing, continuous strips, or in any other similar manner in the course of manufacture.

Other objects and advantages will parent as the description proceeds.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a top plan view of a production laybecome apout embodying a preferred form of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional line 2-4 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view through the chute of Fig. l and is takenon the line 3-! view taken on the "of that figure;

. production layout utilizing Fig. 4 is a top plan view of a modified form of production layout Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-8 of Fi 4;

' Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the guiding and receiving tray forming part of the apparatus shown in Figs. 4 and 5;

Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view of the tray of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view through a guiding and receiving tray showing the arrangement of a chain during transfer from one operator to another;

Fig. 9 is a top plan view of a production layout for performing a second sewing operation on the 015211; formed in the production layout of Figs. 4 a

' Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken on line lO-ll of Fig. 9; I

Fig ii is a transverse sectional view showing two guiding and receiving trays for transferring and inverting a chain;

Fig. 12 is a partial longitudinal sectional view through a similar arrangement of trays;

Fig. 13 is a partial view of a modified form of a piece of friction material in the path of the chain to facilitate tb formation of a natural fold 'orlay;

Fig. '14 is a view of rim-m a chain of cello hane ments of a chain and such lay is preserved in 65 articles connected by aiplaltic p aseaeas withachairfl fora secondsewingtabieor for a second operator. chinellislocatedontbe who utilises this table is gether two blanks It and a completed garment II. The o erator at station A is occupied in sewing, gether blanks like the blanks It and It in the drawinl to garments II which are to form a chain, as clearly figures.

As the partially completed thetableatheyarepinhedintoachuteindi- P 8. 34 and aid ll arespacedso that the entrance to the chute 0.

As the operator at table A pushes the garments totherightasviewedinmlandzeachgument slides over the adjacent part of the upper surfaceofthetablesandthebottomofthe chute c and this surface offers just sufiicient friction to cause each garment to buckle or fold and assume a natural told or lay and a definite position relative to the garments immediately precedingitinthechain. 'Ihechainofgarments travels in a straight line from table A to table B and the chute C maintains the natural lay or fold of the garments and their relative position with respect to each other whereby twisting, turning, rumpling. massing, and rearrangement of the garments in the chain is prevented. I

when my new and improved process and apparatus is being utilised in the manufacture of very flexible .cloth garments, the surfaces of the tables and the surface of the bottom of the chute C may be smooth and alter little frictional resistance since very little resistance is sufllcient to provide the desired natural fold or lay of the garments as they are pushed over such a surface. My process and apparatus, however, may be used in the manufacture of articles of leather, plastics, and other flexible material having different degrees of flexibility. In each instance the surface over which the article pases as it leaves the sewing machine 24 .or other chain forming apparatus must oiIer just suiliclent frictional resistance to create a natural fold or lay when the rear end of the garment is pushed with sufllcient force to advance the garment. In some instances it is desirable to provide a short relatively rough surface over which the articles pass to form the desired natural lay or fold. Such an arrangement is illustrated in Fig. 13 wherein the table A is provided with a strip of sandpaper M or other suitable friction material immediately adiacent the entrance of chute stublentheseeondoperatorwithdrawsthe garmentsfromthechutecwhilethesegarments arestillpartoithechainandperformsasecond operation thereon. In the production layout showninl 'igs. l and2thissecondoperationconsists of sewing a third blank 48 to each garment bymeans of a sewing machine 48. In Fig. l. the garments are cut apart by hand or any suitable automatic means immediately prior to the sewing oi the third blank to each garment, and

- a feature of my invention lies in the fact that the cutting apart of the garments formed into a chain at one operation may be absorbed as a part of the subsequent operation whereby the expeme and delay of a separate cutting operation may be avoided.

It is not necesary to my invention however that the garments in a chain formed by one operation be cut apart prior to performing a second operation thereon, and in some production layouts it may be desirable to maintain the chain for several successive operations without cutting apart the garments comprising the chain. In some production layouts it may even be desirable to maintain the original chain of stitching even after a second chain of stitching has been formed. Such an arrangement is shown in Fig. 15, wherein the garments or other articles II are connected by a chain of stitching I2 formed at a first operation and a second chain of stitching 54 formed at a subsequent operation.

After each garment has had the third blank 48 sewed thereto as shown in Pig. 1, such gar-- ment is pushed toward a second chute D in such manner as again to form a natural fold or lay and such natural fold or lay is maintained by the closely confining walls of the chute D through which the garments pass as they are pushed toward a third operation which may be another sewing operation or any other type of manufacturing operation. Since the width of the garments has been increased by the addition of the blanks it, the chute D is wider than the chute C, but in each size of chute the garments are closely confined.

The embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2 contemplates a production layout wherein the chain travels directly from one operator to the other in a continuous flow. Such an arrangement, however, is not always possible or desirable, and in some circumstances it is preferable to deposit a particular chain into a guiding and receiving tray in which the chain then can be transferred from one operator to the next. In Figs. 4 and 5 I have shown such a modified arrangement of my invention. In these figures the operator at station E sews together the blanks II and 12 to form a chain of partially completed garments 14. As each garment leaves the sewing machine it it is pushed to form a natural lay or fold, and as the folded garments are shoved from the table E they pass into a guiding and receiving tray D.

The guiding and receiving tray D is shown more clearly in Figs. 6 and 7 and comprises side walls 18, end walls 80, and bottom cleats I! having a longitudinally extending space It therebetween. Transverse stops It are attached to the bottom cleats 82 immediately adjacent each end of the box and an adjustable partition II is adapted to fit snugly in the tray D and rest upon the stops 88 when in the lowered position shown in Fig. 7.

In the production layout of Figs. 4 and 5 the tray D is supported in an inclined position with its right hand and resting on a relatively low bench it and its left hand end resting on an ad- 8 'ditional support If. The movable partition I.

h illustrated as having its right hand end engag ing a stop I and its left hand end resting upon one of the box ends to and located in the plane of the table E so that there is no substantial gap between the upper surface of this table and the adjacent upper surface of the partition 8|. The inclined position of the tray D is only one of several positions which this tray may assume as is hereinafter more fully explained in connection 10 with the description of Fig 10. I As most clearly shown in Pig. ii, the garments assume a-naturai fold or lay immediately after leaving the sewing machine It and preserve their relative relationships as they pass into the tray is D, although in this particular arrangement they tend to spread out at the end of the chain remote from the sewing machine. as indicated in the drawing. The contour of the tray D. however.

closely confines the garments and prevents all twisting, turning, mussing. and change of relative positions between the various garments of the chain and thereby preserves the chain in proper condition for a subsequent operation. After the chain has been formed, the partition I8 is lowered to the position shown in Fig. 8 and the chain may then be transferred without mussing to a second station such as the station I" of Figs.) H

and 10.

InFigs.9and IOatrayDcontainingachain of garments has its movable partition I. outwardly inclined so that the end adjacent the table 1" is higher and is on a level with the top of the table. The tray D is in alignment with the part of the table F to which the garments may be moved in a straight line, and thereafter .each garment is guided by the operator's hand I to a sewing machine is where an additional blank I is sewed to each garment.

The threads forming the first chain may be cut in any suitable manner as indicated at II. A new chain is formed by the thread which attaches the blanks as to the remainder of the garments or other articles. As the garments leave the sewing machine they are pushed toward the tray 0 45 and assume a natural lay and natural position relative to preceding and succeeding garments.

Guides like the guides 40 and 42 of Fig. 1 maybe located adJacent the entrance to the tray (3 if,

desired to facilitate the introduction of garments W thereinto. The close fitting tray G maintains such natural position and relationship'and may beusedtotransport the chain toa furthersewing position or to any other position for a different type of-operation on the garments.

. In the layout of Figs. 9 and 10 the tray G is illustrated as resting upon a bench ill with the turing requirements. Under some conditions it a may be desirable to provide a greater downward inclination to the partition I02 and to accomplish this the tray G may be placed in the dotted line position indicated by reference character ill.

have the movable partition III assume an upward incline away from the table F and this can be accomplished by raising the tray to the dotted line position indicated by reference character Ill.

6 of the apparatus to accommodate diflerent manufacturing requirements.

One advantage of my invention lies in the maintenance of a predetermined relationship between the partially completed garments'of the chain so that these garments are in a most Jadvantageous position for performing a subsequent operation. In some instances it is necessary or desirable to invert the chain in order to present the garments to the next operator in the most advantageous position and relationship. In Figs. 11 and 12,.1 have shown trays H and H of such sise that one can be telescoped within the other. The tray H would be positioned to receive the chain formed in a particular sewing operation. Afterthe entire chain had been fed into the tray 8, the movable partition Ill would be moved to lowermost position as shown in Fig. 11 so that the chain would assume a position like that shown in Fig. 8. Thereafter the tray B would be teleaoopedoverthetrayliasshownini 'lgs. l1 and 12, and then the two trays turned upside down. Since the chain is snugly held in the tray H during the inversion operation, the garments would not be mussed but would retain their natural shape and relationship with respect to each other. Thereafter, the small tray H could be removed and the tray H positioned with respect to a sewing station in a manner similar to that of the trayD in Fig. 9, or in any other suitable manner While my invention is well adapted to the mass sewing of garments and other articles, it is ties. etc. In Fig. 14 I have illustrated a chain of cellophane articles III to which a plastic strip III has been welded by hot pressing operation, win any other suitable manner. As each cellophane article Ill leaves the apparatus which applies the strip ll! thereto such article can be pushed at its rear end over a table top or other surface providing the requisite degree of frictional reslstenceto cause the article to buckle and assume a natural lay or foldand then pushed I lengthwise of a confining chute or into a guiding and receiving tray in the same manner in which the garments are handled in the several production layouts shown in Figs. 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, and 10, or in any other suitable layout to meet the particular requirements of a given manufacturing proeedure. While I have illustrated only a few production layouts utilizing my novel apparatus and adapted to manufacture garments and other flexible articles according to my novel process, it is to be lmderstood that my invention may assume numerous other forms and includes all variations.

so modifications. and substitutions coming within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. That process of manufacturing garments and other articles which comprises attaching together a multiplicity of flexible sheet-like panels to form an article part at one operating station and at the same station continuing the attaching operation to attach together succeeding sets ofpanels to form additional article parts all Under other conditions it may be desirable to 10 m t t t continuous chain t each other and with the first-mentioned article part, pushing each article part on a substantially planar supporting surface to cause the material ofeachparttobuckleupwardlyhavingawidth A feature of my inven n 1188. the p lity 78 substantially equal to the width of an article part means and resisting m'ovement thereof to cause the material of the'article parts to buckle upwardly in a substantially uniform manner while maintaining in a substantially straight line the attachments connecting the panels of a set, confining the side edges of the material of said parts, and transferring said chain to a second operating station while maintaining said confinement.

2. That process of manufacturing garments and other articles which comprises sewing together a set of panels to form an article part at one operating station and at the same station continuing the sewing operation to sew together succeeding sets of panels to form additional article parts all linked together into a continuous chain with each other and with the first-mentioned article part, pushing each article part over a substantially planar surface to cause the material of each part to buckle upwardly in a substantially uniform manner while maintaining in a substantially straight line the seams connecting the sets of panels, confining the side edges of the material of said parts, transferring said chain to a second sewing station, and maintaining said confinement and relative relationship of the article parts of the chain during transfer.

3. That process of manufacturing garments and other articles which comprises sewing together two panels to form an article part at one operating station and at the same station continuing the sewing operation to sew together succeeding pairs of panels to form additional article parts all linked together into a continuous chain with each other and with the first-mentioned article part, pushing each article part over a substantially planar resisting surface to cause the material of each part to buckle upwardly in a substantially uniform manner while maintaining in a substantially straight line the seams connecting the pairs of panels, confining the side edges of the material of said parts, storing said chain. transferring said chain to a second sewing station, and maintaining said confinement and relative relationship of the article parts of the chain during storage and transfer.

4. That process of manufacturing garments and other articles which comprises sewing together two panels to form an article part at one operating station and at the same station continuing the sewing operation to sew together succeeding pairs of panels to form additional article parts all linked together into a continuous chain with each other and with the first-mentioned article part, pushing each article part over a substantially planar resisting surface to cause the material of each part to buckle upwardly in a substantially uniform manner while maintaining in a substantially straight line the seams connecting the pairs of panels, confining the side edges of the material of'said parts, and continuously transferring said chain to a second sewing station while maintaining said confinement and relative relationship of the article parts of the chain:

5. That process of manufacturing garments and other articles which comprises sewing together two panels to form an article part at one operating station and at the same station continuing the sewing operation to sew together succeeding pairs of panels to form additional article parts all linked together into a continuous chain with each other and with the first-mentioned article part, pushing each article part over a substantially planar resisting surface to cause the material of each part to buckle upwardly in ABA BER'I'RAND SEGUR.

REFERENCES crrnn The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,205,821 Thompson Nov. 21, 1916 1,643,707 Elman Sept. 27, 1927 1,910,200 Bucking May 23, 1933 2,327,252 Dickerson Aug. 17, 1943 2,362,017 May Nov. 7, 1944 Re. 19,571 Schmidt et al May 14, 1935 

